Starving for some good food news
This is a time when many of us are looking forward to our Lunar New Year feast. Succulent steamed chicken, braised mushrooms and perhaps an egg roll or two are likely to feature on most families' menus. But tucking in heartily to this, or any other meal, is a more complex affair these days, when one health scare seems to swiftly follow another.
Thankfully, the bird flu outbreak which has hit other parts of the region, causing tragic loss of life, has not emerged in Hong Kong. Consequently, the demand for chicken has remained high. We are assured that cooking the chicken thoroughly would, in any event, remove any threat. But the close proximity of bird flu might cause us to ponder the variety of potential pitfalls which now have to be negotiated by the health-conscious consumer. Children used to be told to eat all their food because it was good for them. If only things were so simple today.
Let us consider the items which might be crossed off the menu. A nice joint of beef, we might think, would be one of the first dishes to go. If it does not make you more prone to a heart attack it might - depending on its origin - pose a risk of getting the human equivalent of mad cow disease. Better to opt for something else. What about fish, often touted as a healthy option? Last year's discovery of E. coli bacteria and cholera among seafood for sale in Hong Kong might give the more sensitive diners pause for thought. Salmon might be preferable, as it contains fatty acids which guard against heart disease. But if from a farm, it is also likely to be contaminated by cancer-causing pollutants. Perhaps fish is not such a good idea.
At least, we might think, the staple contents of most diets can be relied upon. A comforting bowl of rice, a slice of bread or a plate of mashed potatoes. But these are precisely the foods off-limits under the popular Atkins Diet, which eschews carbohydrates. As we learned last week, such has been its success, fast food restaurants are now removing offending buns from their offerings and wrapping the burgers in lettuce instead. If we reject a few more exotic temptations - hairy crabs (risk of antibiotics) shark's fin (politically incorrect) and civet cat (for obvious reasons) our menu is left with, well, vegetables. But even here we have to be careful. If they come from the mainland they will require thorough soaking in order to get rid of nasty pesticides and fertilisers.
The conclusion we can draw from all this is that while attention should, of course, be paid to the advice we are given on the threats posed by certain foods, if we acted on every concern which was raised by one expert or another we would probably starve. Everything in moderation is perhaps the best guide. Although some may wish not to adopt it until after the Lunar New Year.
